She has no intention of giving up her day job but that doesn’t stop one local small business owner from pursuing her passion for song on the side.
Now Catherine Manna has been recognized for her song writing skills with two nominations, as best Contemporary Christian Songwriter of the Year and Best East Listening Song Writer of the Year, for the Independent Music Channel’s third annual on-line awards show on Saturday.
“I just heard on Monday, it was a last minute entry,” said Manna. “I’ve been part of the website for awhile so I submitted four or five songs and when two were chosen I was surprised. It really caught me off guard.”
The two songs Manna submitted to the internet radio station, “You Are Beautiful” and “Desire” proved to have some staying power on the online station with “You Are Beautiful” making it to the station’s charts for 10 weeks.
Manna said she has been playing piano since she was three years-old and has been writing songs since she was 14 but has only been taking her music more seriously for the last 10 years.
Manna owns The Garden of Eden in East Trail, a small, colourful shop that sells everything from flowers to “funky” clothing, organic makeup, jewelry, and some local crafts and doesn’t perform locally very much but in the past performed for a variety of community events in the Okanagan and Ontario, where she grew up.
Manna will find out online Saturday whether or not she will receive the awards she’s been nominated for but that isn’t her main concern.
“I don’t need to win anything, I don’t care where the train stops,” Manna said.
“I’m just here to enjoy life and share what I enjoy doing.”